Minn. raw milk cheese outbreak swells to 25

A Salmonella outbreak linked to a homemade Mexican-style cheese made with raw milk has now sickened 25 people, nearly double the number reported last month.

According to Minnesota health officials, tests on the queso fresco confirmed the connection to the outbreak.

Heidi Kassenborg, director of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Dairy and Food Inspection Division, said the outbreak underscores the dangers of consuming unpasteurized dairy products.

"It only takes a few bacteria to cause illness. Milking a cow is not a sterile process and even the cleanest dairy farms can have milk that is contaminated. That's why pasteurization - or the heat treatment of milk to kill the harmful pathogens - is so important," Kassenborg said in a news release.